A/N: chashkieh, my Christmas gift to you. Sorry it came a bit late. But hey, still Christmas. I haven't totally grasp the personality yet... but I hope it's all right. I'll try to improve it next time if I ever do get a grasp of their personalities.

Anyhow, hope you like it.

Protecting Her

Disclaimer: I don't own Shaman King. The only thing I own in this story is the plot... and Tensatsu. Other than that, the Shaman King characters and their history belong to Hiroyuki Takei.

It shouldn't have taken long. Just go to the mall and find that new CD of that favourite artist of his. How hard can it be? Of course, she didn't expect to take a sudden detour in the woods. It was snowing and she had no plans of staying out late. She would have gone back home right after retrieving her scarf which had, for some reason, flown away. But then, the way back looked different. She should have realized something was wrong. She should never have strayed from her path at all. After all, as a shaman, she sees spirits everywhere. The world was filled with dead people with unfinished business.

But there were no signs of spirits in the area now….

"Hah! It's a good thing Tamao cooks dinner these days," Horohoro commented in between mouthfuls. "Imagine if we had waited for Anna. We probably would have starved."

"Only a pig like you would starve," Ren muttered, gracefully picking up his chopsticks.

"What was that?" Horohoro glared at Ren. "You want to fight, shark-boy?"

"It's impolite to fight while dining," Ren started. "Although, I suppose a lowly person like you wouldn't know that."

"THAT'S IT!" Horohoro growled, putting down his bowl.

"Maa, maa, let's just finish dinner before we fight, okay?" Yoh placated, smiling as he continued eating.

"But Anna-sama…." Tamao started. "Isn't it too late to be out? Should we go look for her?"

Silence….. Then,

"Nah, that woman can take care of herself," Horohoro stated.

"Yoh-sama…" Tamao started.

"Ah, well, Horohoro is right," Yoh said, laughing slightly. "Anna can take care of herself. She's strong after all."

"Hmph," Ren huffed. "You're just scared of her and want her far away for as long as possible."

"Ah, hehehe," Yoh laughed, sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"As if you're not scared of her either, Ren," Horohoro snickered.

"I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN, YOU IDIOT!"

As Horohoro and Ren started fighting, Tamao noticed Yoh looking towards the door thoughtfully.

After hours of walking, Anna found herself nearing a small cave. There, she saw a light coming from a fire. The smell of food reached her and she felt her stomach growl a bit.

As she walked closer, she found herself facing a boy about her age.

"About time, Anna," the boy smiled, "I was beginning to think you'd lost your way."

"Who are you?" Anna demanded.

"Hm…." The boy continued smiling. "I am called by many names. But you can call me Satsu."

Anna raised an eyebrow as though telling the man to continue.

"Well, I suppose you would like to know where you are now," Satsu laughed. He offered Anna a bowl of soup and gestured to the log across him. Anna looked at the bowl before accepting the offer stiffly. She then sat across the man, her other hand already holding on to her beads in preparation.

"That is useless, my dear," Satsu stated calmly.

Anna glowered at the endearment attached to the sentence.

"You cannot use that. Not here anyway," Satsu continued, ignoring the glare sent to his direction in favor of eating. "And even if you try, you cannot call any spirit here. Not even those from heaven or hell. After all, you are in the Holy Land."

"There are plenty of holy lands with spirits," Anna retorted.

"Not here," Satsu said. "Not while I am here. As long as I am around, the land stays as I want it to. It can be anything, any place I want it to be. And now, I want it to be a land without spirits."

"A land without spirits?" Anna scoffed. "Don't be stupid."

"You say that now, but why do you think there are no spirits in the vicinity? As you can see, there isn't anyone here," Satsu stated, gesturing around. "As you mentioned, even holy lands have spirits. Not here. Because you see, I don't want anyone here. I just want a safe place for you and to do that, there shouldn't be any spirits. After all, presence of spirits would also mean the presence of demons, right, Anna?"

Anna suddenly became rigid at the mention of demons.

Did this man… thing... know of her ability?

"Don't worry, Anna," Satsu said, smiling gently. "I won't hurt you. I know you are strong. Still, strong as you are, you still have your insecurities. People don't know this so they leave you alone. But I won't do that. I'll protect you. I created this place for you and you can tell me if you want it to look like something else. I will change this area for you… because you will stay here with me forever."

Back in the Asakura home, the inhabitants were already getting ready to sleep. Tamao was doing last minute preparations before going to sleep. In another room, Horohoro was already snoring loudly, Kororo watching over him. Ren was doing his last few exercises before heading to bed himself.

Amidamaru was returning to Yoh's room after having a drinking session with Bason at the cemetery. Bason himself was already with Ren.

"Yoh-dono," Amidamaru checked Yoh's room and was surprised to find it empty. He decided to look around the house for his master before panicking. Good thing too. He wasn't sure the Chinese kid would be too thrilled to be woken up only to find Yoh outside near the garden.

"Yoh-dono," Amidamaru floated towards his master. "What's wrong?"

"I'm probably being stupid," Yoh said after a moment of silence. "But Anna hasn't arrived."

Amidamaru was taken aback by this.

"But… she never stays out alone at this late a night," Amidamaru stated.

"Mmhmm," Yoh agreed.

Silence followed. Then, Yoh suddenly stood up, brushing his pants as he straightened up.

"I'll go look for her," Yoh said. "Hahaha, I don't want to train tomorrow but if I don't find her, I'll probably get an even more painful experience."

SLAP!

Satsu raised a hand to his swollen cheek. He should have expected that.

"Who says I'm staying here, baka!" Anna said angrily. "No one tells me where I should stay or go."

"It doesn't matter," Satsu said calmly. "Even if you don't want to stay, it's not as if you can find your way out easily. I'm not going to let you go. Only I can protect you. No one else would want to."

"I don't need your protection!" Anna fumed. "This is stupid! I'm leaving!"

With that, Anna stood up and left, choosing the cold over the protection offered by the strange man.

"We've gone through this path already, Yoh-dono," Amidamaru reminded.

"I know," Yoh said. "I somehow feel I keep missing something. She should be around somewhere."

"Perhaps we should check somewhere else?"

"… No, I think she's here." Yoh said firmly. "We're just missing something."

Truth be told, the stranger's words struck something inside her. What was she supposed to think? How was she supposed to feel? Angry that he dared to say that no one would want to protect someone like her? Happy that at least he cared enough to want to protect her? Or sad to know that she was hated?

It was confusing. She knew she was strong. Everyone was scared of her. But maybe it's because of that fear that makes her worried now. She never did try to endear herself to the group . In fact, she's given them every reason to run away from her. What if no one comes for her now? She didn't want to think that she could not get out but then, she's been wandering for hours, places behind her changing just as soon as she takes a new step. How was she supposed to leave a place meant to keep her in? How was she supposed to do this with her powers useless against Satsu? Who was he anyway? How could he make the spirits disappear? How does he keep one place so hidden that even the person within cannot escape?

"Ah… hahaha, I think I'm lost now," Yoh suddenly laughed sheepishly as he looked around.

Silence followed.

"Somehow, I feel she's near but I can't seem to find her," Yoh surmised. "So this must mean that there's something here hiding her…. Or I'm being silly."

"The latter most likely," a voice stated, startling Yoh.

"Ren," Yoh smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"He's not the only one here," Horohoro added.

"Horohoro!" Yoh exclaimed. "I thought you were all asleep."

"Yeah well, the bastard wanted to go find you," Horohoro shrugged. "Wanted to help you out probably."

"Urusai!" Ren glared at the Ainu. Then he turned to Yoh. "I just woke up for training and this is a good chance to do so."

Before the two could start arguing, Yoh cut in quickly.

"I'm glad you're both here," Yoh grinned.

"We saw you circling around the same area," Horohoro started. "This is bad, Yoh. If what Ren tells me is right, we're dealing with a mischievous nature spirit here. And it's pretty powerful. It's known all over the world."

"It is?" Yoh stopped to think for a while. "Hmmm….. I don't remember any spirit being this strong to cover its presence."

"You –!" Ren sighed. "Haven't you noticed Amidamaru's been silent for a while now? Do you see Bason or Kororo anywhere?"

"Eh…" Yoh looked to his side and then around. "AH! Amidamaru! Oh no, I lost him too!"

"You didn't lose him," Ren said. "It's the spirit. We cannot find our spirits unless he wishes us to find them. That will be the same for Anna. We won't find her unless he wants us to. It's Pao Xin"

"Eh? I haven't heard of a spirit like that," Yoh said. "I'm sure I would have if it were that powerful."

"I think you have heard of it, Yoh," Horohoro said, now serious. "It's probably just called a different name. In our tribe, we call him Rayaka. It's…."

"?" Yoh looked at them questioningly.

"I believe here, he is called Tensatsu," Ren said calmly.

Yoh's eyes widened.

"The spirit of the wild," Yoh stated. "But he's supposed to be a peaceful spirit who protects humans and animals alike."

"In our tribe," Horohoro said, "they say he has numerous forms. He is also known for a lot of things – some call him the love sprite. Others refer to him as the deity that keeps humans and animals in order. But he is also known to be the ruler of the dead on earth."

"In our country," Ren added, "Pao Xin is known as a god of love and protection. In these times, there are a lot of unsolved murders, bodies turning up without traces of who killed them and why. But I remember my grandfather saying that it is the work of Pao Xin. Pao Xin finds people who are unloved and taken for granted. He finds people who are abused and offers them protection. But in doing so, he takes them from this world and brings them to his own world where no uninvited souls can wreak havoc."

"In our tribe, Rayaka controls the dead on earth. He gives them a place to stay and protects them from humans. In order to keep the balance, it was said that he keeps the keys to heaven and hell. One key, he kept in a land where spirits can never go to, and another in a land where humans cannot find. It was said that these lands are where ultimate protection is provided for those who seek him," Horohoro said.

"Tensatsu is supposed to be a peaceful spirit who protects the balance but stays out of sight for both ordinary people and shamans alike," Yoh said. "He wasn't really an arrogant god or spirit who wanted people to worship him. He was just a simple spirit who wished to protect all that is good. Why would he take Anna?"

"He must have made a mistake, if you ask me," Horohoro scoffed. "That devil is the last person on earth that needs protection."

"Well," Yoh said after a moment of silence. "I still need to find her anyway. She might be angrier if she finds out we are dinner without her."

…..

"Ehm…." Horohoro stammered, "can we just leave her alone so we don't have to get slapped?"

Tensatsu.

It took a while but after thinking about it, she finally knew who she was dealing with. But it seemed wrong.

"Finally figured out who I am?" Satsu, no – Tensatsu smiled as he walked towards where she was staying. "I told you I wouldn't hurt you, right?"

Anna stood up, facing him.

"You're not supposed to show yourself to us," Anna said. "Why are you meddling into human affairs now?"

"Oh?" Tensatsu raised an eyebrow. "Who said I wasn't supposed to meddle into human affairs? If I hadn't meddled into your affairs, a lot of you humans would have died earlier than your time. You really shouldn't be so rebellious, you know. I only want to help. Now, I have to deal with some annoying pests. If you would excuse me."

Before Anna could say or do anything, Tensatsu disappeared.

"You shouldn't be here," Tensatsu faced the three shamans calmly. "You have no business here."

"Ah, we're just looking for someone," Yoh grinned. "We'll leave just as soon as we find her."

"Kyoyama Anna," Tensatsu stated, startling the three. "She is under my protection. You fear her. You don't want her with you."

"Ah, hahaha, well, her training is really, really hard," Yoh agreed. "And her slaps are painful, too. But ano, she'll probably give us a harsher punishment if she finds out we ate dinner without her. So can you please tell us where she is so we can bring her home? I still need to cook dinner again since we finished everything Tamao made."

Tensatsu looked at the boy carefully.

"I told you, she is under my protection."

"She doesn't need protection," Horohoro cut in. "That she-demon is already strong enough as is."

"I still think she should go back with us," Yoh said, smiling. "What do you want in return for her release?"

Tensatsu shook his head.

"Those under my protection stay safe. No exchanges are made just to have them returned to a life where they are abused, taken for granted, or unloved."

"She doesn't fall under any of those categories," Ren said. "The first is probably what she does to us half the time," this he muttered in a lower tone of voice.

"I will give you a chance, boy," Tensatsu pointed to Yoh. "If you find her within the time limit, I will let all of you go. But if you cannot find her in time, then you have to give me your soul."

"Wait!" Ren said. "Let us talk to Yoh first."

"Very well," Tensatsu shrugged, not caring at all. After all, the longer they take, the shorter the time the boy will have. By the time he finds the girl, if he does find her, she'll probably be dead already and in Tensatsu's other world.

"You shouldn't gamble your soul, Yoh," Ren said. "Pao Xin was known to protect but if I recall the stories correctly, the people he takes have to die first and it is their souls that he takes with him to his world. That is what they mean by taking them from our world and into his own. For all we know, Anna already passed on hours ago."

"I think she's all right," Yoh said. "Anna's tough. She'll make it through. I just hope she's weakened enough so her slaps won't hurt."

Horohoro smiled. "All right. Go find her. We'll stay here and make sure Rayaka doesn't do anything bad."

"As if you can do anything to stop him," Ren muttered.

"YOU WANT TO FIGHT, SHARKHEAD?" Horohoro screamed at Ren, head-butting the Chinese guy.

"BRING IT ON, BAKA AINU!" Ren retaliated, lifting his weapon.

"Maa, maa," Yoh sweatdropped. "Come on, guys, you can express your close friendship ties later."

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!" the two retorted.

Yoh just laughed and then turned to Tensatsu.

"I accept."

She wasn't sure how she lasted this long in the cold. But she definitely wouldn't make it if she had to stay here for the whole night. She needed to find shelter soon. Preferably somewhere warm. But it didn't look like there was anything of that sort here.

She was just walking and walking, not sure where to go. Strange enough, the path led to a familiar place.

This was where Yoh fought the great demon who took her away.

Ironic. Anna scoffed. The one place she should have died in as a child is the place she finds now that she cannot find her way out of Tensatsu's world. Is this what he meant by protection? Then again, it didn't matter anymore.

Anna entered the old temple. It was strange how everything looked the same as it did when she was still younger. Of course, Anna knew this wasn't really the same place. It was probably something Tensatsu pulled from her memories and recreated to give her something familiar.

Anna sat down, her back against the temple wall.

She hated humans. She told herself that. That was probably why Tensatsu took this place of all the places in her memories. Perhaps it was to remind her how much she hated humans.

Still though, she wished she didn't have to die alone like this.

While Yoh was walking around looking for Anna, Tensatsu's voice kept whispering to him.

"Why are you putting your life on the line?" Tensatsu asked. "Are you not afraid of her? If I take her away, you won't have to be scared anymore."

"Ah, well, Anna's strong," Yoh said. "If she somehow finds her way back and finds out we left her alone, it'll be even more painful."

"I'm not planning to hurt her," Tensatsu said, after a few minutes. "I'm taking her somewhere safe to protect her."

"Anna is strong," Yoh said, smiling to himself. "She doesn't need your protection."

A moment of silence. And then,

"She hates humans."

"I know. She said that before too."

"She kept telling you to go die."

"Ah, haha. I think training me is her way of slowly making me die."

"Bad things happen when she's around."

"Ah, that was only when she was younger."

Younger….

Yoh suddenly stopped, heart beating fast as he looked at the scene in front of him. It was a long time ago but he remembered it well. How could he not? He lost a very good friend that time.

"Matamune…." Yoh whispered.

He slowly walked towards the old temple. When did the scenery change to this? He remembered walking through a field of snow. How did it suddenly change to Mount Osorezan?

Never mind that. Yoh shook his head hard and looked in front of him. The scene was not changing. It was still the same place where he fought with the Oh Oni. The same place Anna screamed out her hatred for the world, for the people in it.

"Anna," Yoh started to run towards the temple.

He'll find her there. He was sure of it. Because even though he remembered the screams and the cries of the little girl who claimed to hate the world here, he also remembered that this was the place where she said she loved him for the very first time.

"Anna! Anna! ANNA!" a voice called insistently.

Anna slowly opened her eyes, trying to look at the person shaking her hard.

Yoh….

"Anna!" Yoh quickly removed his coat and placed it around her cold shoulders, covering her body and providing her with additional warmth. "Don't go to sleep! You'll be okay! I'm taking you back."

Anna looked at the coat and then….

SLAP!

"Eh?" Yoh groaned as he tried to stand up after falling down due to the slap. "Itai!"

"Baka!" Anna said. "You're late!"

Anna tried her hardest to keep the glare on her face. She watched as Yoh looked down the ground before grinning at her.

"Gomen," Yoh said. "I'll do better next time."

"You better," Anna said. "I'm increasing the weights and the distance you have to cover for tomorrow's training."

"… Hai…"

The two were silent after that, Yoh looking at Anna while Anna was lost in her own thoughts.

All this time, Anna thought everyone hated her. So why did Yoh come get her? Why didn't he just leave her alone, lost in a world that was not their own? She was always mean to him. She always pushed him too hard. She hated humans and she hated the world. So now that there was a chance for her to disappear, why didn't they leave her behind? Why did they try to get her back?

"Anna," Yoh spoke up, bringing Anna out of her thoughts.

"What?"

Yoh smiled, offering his hand.

"Let's go home."

"So you found her?" Horohoro whooped. "Woohoo! Take that, Rayaka! I told you Yoh wouldn't lose to a spirit like you!"

"Idiot," Ren muttered. "Do you want the god to kill you?"

"What was that?" Horohoro glared at Ren. "Wanna fight?"

"Hahahah, come on, guys!" Yoh tried to stop the two. "Let's go back!"

"Oi," Anna said.

The three boys looked at her questioningly.

"There had better be food on the table when we reach home or else…" Anna left the threat hanging.

The three boys gulped, looking at each other. Anna strode past them and walked ahead, heading for home.

"Aw shit! We have to find food somewhere!" Horohoro cursed, scared. "Let's go!"

He and Ren quickly ran towards the nearest convenience store they could find.

Before Yoh could follow them, he turned back to look at Tensatsu.

"Thank you," Yoh said. "You didn't really take her away to hurt her, right? You wanted us to realize what we always took for granted."

"People are fickle and ungrateful beings," Tensatsu stated. "Always wanting something and taking it for granted once they have it. How many cries have I heard the past centuries? How many wounds have I witnessed before I interfered? People are so cruel, they would do harm to their own kind. I only wanted to protect all of those who were hurt and left alone. I only wanted to protect her and give her love which she cannot get here. You all say she is strong and doesn't need protection. But even though she doesn't need it doesn't mean she shouldn't be protected at all."

"I know," Yoh said simply. "But that's why I came to find her. I know you want to protect her. But you can't. You shouldn't."

"Why not?" Tensatsu pressed on.

Yoh smiled at him before turning to walk away.

"Because she already has someone protecting her."

Because she already has someone protecting her….

Tensatsu looked at the boy's retreating back, the words echoing in his head over and over again. A silent message was being said there.

Tensatsu smiled, finally understanding. He slowly disappeared from view, the world he created shimmering away with him.

So the girl did have someone loving and protecting her. It was the boy all along. That's why he was willing to gamble his soul for a chance to save her….

Anna and Yoh walked together in silence, snow falling down lightly around them. It had taken Yoh a few minutes to catch up to the girl and after a painful slap for being slow, they decided to continue walking home together.

"Why?" Anna suddenly spoke up as she stopped walking.

"Huh?" Yoh also stopped, looking back at the girl.

"Why?" Anna clenched her hands into fists. "Why didn't you just leave me there? You don't want me around right? So why?"

Yoh looked at her, half amazed at the sudden display of emotion. He then smiled gently.

"Because you're going to be my wife, aren't you?" Yoh smiled as Anna looked at him, shocked at his answer. "And I promised you, didn't I? I promised that I'll be the Shaman King and I'll make it all better."

Anna didn't know what to say to that.

"That's why," Yoh continued, "no matter what happens, even if you say you can take care of yourself, if someone comes here and takes you away, I'll be there to bring you back home. Trust me on this one, okay?"

Anna slowly nodded, blushing slightly.

"Come on," Yoh grinned, daring to take her hand. "Let's go home."

It was typical of Yoh. Nonetheless, it was enough.

Anna gave a small smile. For the umpteenth time, she felt happy inside that she was chosen among many to be his fiancée. And as she watched him smile after she gave him the CD she just bought, she realized how lucky she was that he chose her.

THE END.